The RAC has confirmed that it attended more breakdowns on Monday than any other single day in its 120-year history of coming to the aid of stricken motorists.

Its patrols were called out to around 12,000 drivers who had encountered problems with their vehicles on 12 December, which works out at an average of more than eight per minute.

The breakdown assistance provider blamed a 'worst-ever winter cocktail' of sub-zero temperatures, snow and ice and rise in the number of motorists who haven't been able to afford to maintain their vehicles due to the cost-of-living crunch.

The motoring group, which was founded in 1897 but only introduced its first uniformed patrols in 1901 and roadside emergency telephone boxes in 1912, said Monday was its busiest day ever recorded for its patrols.

While RAC Motoring Services as we currently know it was set up in 1998, Monday's activity was busier than all other years.

It officially eclipsed the previous record number of callouts it received in 2018 when the 'Beast from the East' hit between February and March that year.

Rod Dennis, the RAC's breakdown spokesman, said: 'We believe two key ingredients have combined to create the worst-ever winter breakdown cocktail – a sustained period of cold weather with an absence of widespread snow that would otherwise keep people indoors, and a big rise in the number of drivers who can’t afford to maintain their vehicles as we well as they’d like to due to the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.'

With the big squeeze on people's finances in recent months, various studies have warned that a large proportion of drivers have been - or will be - forced to delay or cancel their car's annual service in a bid to save money.

The latest poll of more than 2,000 drivers in Britain found that a third (32 per cent) are likely or very likely to skip their vehicle's service in the next 12 months.

This could result in over 10million motors on the road not being checked over by mechanic for months, meaning they will be more susceptible to breakdowns. 

Mr Dennis predicts there will be little let-up in terms of the volume of requests for help from stricken motorists, with its breakdown patrols experiencing huge demand through the week. 

'After seeing an all-time high number of breakdowns on Monday, the continued widespread cold conditions on Tuesday led to another day of near-record call-outs with around 11,000 dealt with – making for the highest number we’ve ever recorded over two consecutive days,' he said.

'With temperatures set to dip to well below zero again overnight we’re urging drivers to allow more time on Thursday morning to make sure they fully de-ice and demist their cars before heading out. 

'In these extreme low temperatures it’s wise to keep both your de-icer and scraper close to hand rather than in the car where they could frustratingly be just out of reach due to frozen locks. It’s important to be ever-mindful that some roads – particularly in more rural areas – may be worse affected than others by ice, so reducing speed has to be the best policy.'

Britons’ favourite Christmas songs to listen to on the road have been revealed, and it’s Chris Rea’s classic – and appropriately titled – Driving Home for Christmas in the number one spot.

When Britons were asked in a survey to name their top festive driving tracks, it garnered almost half (47 per cent) of the vote, with Fairytale of New York by The Pogues coming second with an impressive 46 per cent. In third place is Wizzard’s 1973 hit I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day, with 39 per cent.

Driving Home For Christmas was released 36 years ago in 1986 as a B-side to song Hello Friend. It was then re-released in 1988 as an attempt at the Christmas charts but only reached number 53. However, it has slowly grown in popularity – in 2021 it reached number ten in the UK Singles Chart.

Also on the list of festive tunes Britons like to listen to while on the move is Last Christmas (fourth, 38 per cent), All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey (fifth, 37 per cent) and Bing Crosbie’s It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (sixth, 32 per cent).

The survey of 2,000 Britons, by Webuyanycar, also discovered that the average British motorist will drive 185 miles over the Christmas period to see friends and family.

Ninety-two per cent of respondents agreed that despite traffic jams and potentially bad weather, there is no better feeling than driving home for the Christmas break.

Music, it seems, is a vital part of our festivities, with 85 per cent of people agreeing that it doesn’t feel like Christmas until they’ve heard a classic anthem.

Psychologically the tracks take us back to our early years, with 90 per cent saying that they’re transported back to childhood by hearing some of the songs.

When it comes to when you can start listening to your favourite Christmas tracks, there’s a split in the nation, with 48 per cent saying it is okay to play them in November while 52 per cent believe you must hold on until December.

Many more people are in favour of Christmas songs in shops - with 87 per cent saying they enjoy hearing them when out and about.

A growing proportion make their own Christmas playlists, with 33 per cent saying they plan their listening, however that still leaves two-thirds who hear the tunes on the radio - or playlists made automatically by streaming services.

Seven in ten people agree that at the end of Christmas, they’re pleased they won’t have to hear a festive song for another year.

Richard Evans, Head of Technical Services at webuyanycar, said: ‘This poll shows how much we think about music at Christmas, particularly on that much-anticipated drive home for the festive season listening to our favourite Christmas songs.’